Catenary suspension of the trolley-wire for electric railways.



F. LAUTENBACHER. CATENARY SUSPENSION OF THE TROLLEY WIRE FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.17. 19H.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

Di W FRIEDRICH LAUTENBACHER, 0F MUNICH, GERMANY.

CATENARY SUSPENSION OF THE TROLLEY-WIRE FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Application filed October 17, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH LAUTEN- BACHER, a citizen of Germany, residing at Munich, Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catenary Suspension of the Trolley-Wire for Electric Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a catenary suspension system for the trolley wires of electric railways.

The invention includes the use of the'usual slack messenger cable and tensioned trolley wire, and relates particularly to the means for suspending; the trolley wire from the messenger cable.

20 Several forms of the invention are illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing, wherein t Figure 1 is an elevational view of a simple form of suspension system embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view in which the use of eye hangers having divergent arms is illustrated; Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention showing the employment of a combination of loop hangers, eye hangers, and straight and inclined drops in proximity to the supporting points of the messenger cable; Fig. 4 is a similar view of a further modified form of the invention wherein loop hangers and yoke hangers are employed; Fig. 5 is a similar view of a further modified form disclosing the use of loop hangers and eye hangers;

and Fig. 6 is a still further modification disclosing the use of loop hangers in combination with drops having rollers movable to a limited extent on the messenger cable.

In the systems now in use, so far as I- am aware, it has either been customary to employ a yielding connection of some sort be tween the slack messenger cable and the tensioned trolley wire, or the hangers or drops the defects inherent in both these systems.

I accomplish the object of my invention Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented eat. as, rare.

Serial No. 867,096.

by a suitable combination of certain features of the suspension systems heretofore employed, using a slidable connection between the trolley wire and the messenger cable between the points of support for the latter, and a hanger or drop connection between the trolley wire and the messenger cable adjacent the points where the latter is supported.

Referring to Fig. 1 a is the trolley wireand b the messenger cable which is supported in a manner to form catenary curves as shown. Between the supporting points of the messenger cable 6, that is intermediate the ends of the span, the trolley wire a has formed integrally therewith or firmly secured thereto suspenders 0 having loops which slidably engage the messenger cable F). Adjacent the supports for the messenger cable, there are formed integrally with the latter and with the trolley wire a, or firmly secured to both thereof, hangers or drops (I which are normally in a preferably vertical position. When the trolley wire moves in the direction of the arrow, either as a result of tensioning or from other causes, the loop suspenders 0 will slide on the messenger cable Z), while the drops or hangers (Z will assume an inclined position, the positions of the several parts after movement of the trolley wire a being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 discloses a slightly modified arrangement wherein the hangers d are placed adjacent the suspension points of the messenger cable,while intermediate these hangers d, I employ eye hangers comprising the diverging branches or arms 7 integral with or secured to the trolley wire a, and the eyes 6 capable of sliding on the messenger cable 6. Under the oldsystcm of suspension these eye hangers were necessarily provided with horizontal gliding yokes, but according to my invention such yokes may be dispensed with, because the angle of inclination of the messenger cable where these eye hangers are employed is small.

Obviously it is possible to employ a combination of eye and loop hangers, and Figs. 3 too disclose various forms of such combinations.

It occurs at times, although not frequently, that at the points where one form of my improved suspension means merges into another, small differences occur in the plane or horizontal position of the trolley wire, and

7 this purpose.

one feature of'my invention has reference to the correction of such irregularities. I accomplish this object inthe following man.- ner:VVhere a defect of thisjkind is produced, by tensioning, in the trolley wire in one of the forms of suspension, a similar irregularity is artificially produced in an adjacent part of the wire suspended by different means, and this defect is gradually diminished indegree fromone part of the wire to theotlier, until the defect. entirely disappears.

W-hen the-trolley wire a is tensioned, the eyes. 6 glide directly on the somewhat inelined portion of the messenger cable but the part where thetwo-forms of suspension means are juXtaposed,.and the trolley wire is therefore either somewhat raised or sags somewhat. To iobviate this irregularity I endeavor to correspondingly raise or lower the trolley wire at the-adjacent supporting points. In F-ig.:-.3,.I have illustrated this efiect byproviding inclined. hangersaor drops (Z 1 and d between the eye supports 6 and the vertical} drops'or hangers 0Z at the points where the messenger cable I) is supported. It will be noted,there'fore; that in the; normal position the hangers d and (Z are: somewhat inclined, and upon movement of the trolley-wire-a these hangers d and (P, will deflect from their normal? inclined position. Preferably, the arrangement or position of thehangers d and cl (Fig. 2) is such; that their inclination constantly de creases toward-the vertical hangers (Z that is, the hanger cl is inclined at a greater angle":- than the hanger d The tendency of the; trolley wire ato assumeacurved form underthe suspension meanstherefor; may be corrected in a manner similar to that above described. Figs. 4 to6 illustratemeans for accomplishing I-n'Fig; 4: I have shown the use ofintermediate loop suspension means 0, adjacent eye suspensionmeans c provided with-sliding'yokes g, and ordinary end drops on hangers dz By this arrangement the gliding efieet:is'somewhatin the arc of a circle rather than' in a rectilinear path, theeycs e describing-- ascircle of a-somewhatgreater radius than-thelowerends of the adjacent drops or hangersd. ,A diiierent: way ofaccomplishing this-result, without the use of any 'speei'al parts such-as the-yokes g,-is shown in Fig.1 5. In this: figure I employ acombination of the eye suspension means 6 having divergent branches 1, the hangers or drops d and thelbops- 0, at theeritiealsuspensionapoi'nt. The length of the drops (i is such that they are tensioned only in case of substantial deflection: in one direction or theother, while in the intermediate or nor mal position the eyese su-pportthc entire; loada- Accordingly, the.- trolley' wire will, be slightly curved, that is; a curve-intermediate the straight sliding or gliding suspension and the circular form of the drop or hanger suspension.

A similar curvature is secured in the trolley wire by the arrangement shown in Fig. 6. The suspension means by which one form of suspension gradually merges into the other, consists of simple vertical suspension wires d secured to the trolley wire a, but movable on the messenger cable 6. To this end, each of the wires d has one of its ends provided with rollers h which rest upon the messenger cable 6, the movement of these rollers in either direction being limited by stops 2'- on the messenger cable. The effect of this construction is that the trolley wire does not extend in a true straight line, but is rectilinear at the middle part but slightly curved at the ends, thus describing a somewhat upwardly curved are.

What I- claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. In a system of catenary suspension for trolley Wires, the combination of a messengercablesupported at intervals, a trolley wire, swinging, suspension means for the trolley wire adjacent the supports for the cable, and sliding suspension means for the trolleywire intermediate the supports for the cable.

2. In a system of catenary suspension for trolley wires, the combination of a supported messenger cable, a trolley wire, means secured both to the messenger cable and to the trolley wire, adjacent the cable supports for suspending the wire from the cable, and ad ditionalmeans intermediate said supports and slidable on the messenger cable for suspending the trolley wire from the latter.

3.1a a system of catenary suspension for trolley wires, the combination of a messenger. cable supported at intermediate pointsand sagging between said supports, a trolley wire adapted tov be suspended from said: cable, means secured to the cable and to the wire in proximity to the supports, for suspending the wire from the cable at these points, and means slidable on the sagging portion-of themessenger cable and secured to the trolley wire for suspending the latter from the cable at the sagging portion of the latter.

4'. Ina system of catenary suspension for trolley wires, the combination of a messenger cable suspended at intermediate points and sagging between such supports, a trolley wire adapted to be suspended from said cable, trolley wire suspension means attached to. the trolley wire and slidable on the messenger cable at the sagging portion thereof, and inclined hangers attachedboth tov the cable. and to the trolley wire in proximity to the supports for the cable.

5,..Inasystem of catenary suspensionfor trolley wires, the. combination of a mes- Ill 1,157,702 l; ll

senger cable supported at intervals and having sagging portions between the supports, a trolley Wire, suspension means for the trolley Wire attached to the latter and slidable on the sagging portion of the mes senger cable, normally vertical trolley Wire suspension means adjacent the supports for the cable attached both to the cable and to the trolley Wire, and additional, inclined, sus- ;o pension means secured both to the cable and FRIEDRICH LAUTENBACHER.

Witnesses N. ROEDER, ARTHUR GUBE.

lfiopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

